By Meredith Heaghney, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio July 16--Columbus is one stop on a seven-state bicycle tour retracing 1,800 miles of the Underground Railroad to raise money to fight modern-day slavery.
The "Stop Injustice: 5 Weeks for Freedom" campaign is raising money for International Justice Mission, a human-rights agency that helps victims of human trafficking, slavery and other violent oppression.
Fifteen riders left Mobile, Ala., on June 28 and are to finish in Buffalo, N.Y., on Aug. 1. They'll stop in Columbus on July 24, and seven Columbus churches will host consecutive rallies from 8 a.m. until 5:45 p.m. that day.
Three speakers will talk at each church rally: Jim Martin, International Justice Mission's vice president of church mobilization; the Rev. Joel King, activist and first cousin of Martin Luther King Jr.; and Emmanuel Inah, an activist and human-trafficking survivor.
At 5 p.m. July 24, the riders, Ohio State University athletes and local leaders are to meet at Ohio State for a rally and a screening of Call + Response, a documentary on modern-day slavery. The rally will be outside Drinko Hall, on the lawn at 11th Avenue and N. High Street.
Anti-trafficking activists will talk about what people can do to help.
The film screening is limited to 250 people. To register, go to www.5weeksforfreedom.org/2010/06/columbus/.
The churches holding rallies are: 8 to 9 a.m., Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 2021 Cleveland Ave.; 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., High Praise International Fellowship, 2703 Northland Plaza Dr.; 11 a.m. to noon: Family Missionary Baptist Church, 996 Oakwood Ave.; 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.: Smyrna Baptist Church, 1650 Wilson Ave.; 2 to 3 p.m.: First Church of God, 3480 Refugee Rd.; and 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.: Victorious Life Christian Center, 1875 Tamarack Circle N.
A youth rally at All Nations Christian Fellowship Church, 142 King Ave., is scheduled for 5 to 5:45 p.m. Participants will walk to campus to join the rally there.
mheagney@dispatch.com
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Rallies to welcome anti-slavery riders
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